Exactly my point–I used atheist organizations as an example of a group of organized humans opposed to religion (the group, religion, CJ points out in the graphic leading the blog)–the very antithesis of atheist’s supposed “cause”– becoming its own religious type entity in the process. Dawkins is a great example of an evangelist for atheists, promoting the atheist “faith” and defending its beliefs–i.e. a religion.

And, the greater point–that religious organizations of all types–theists and atheists–are not the only groups practicing sacrilegious acts against humanity.

Communism failed–the rich and powerful remained in control and inflicted atrocities like Stalin’s purge against the peasants in Russia (former USSR) while organized around the idea of redistributed wealth and power.

Socialism continues to stagger under the same weight of the empowerment of the few leading to pain for the many.

Capitalists, free-market democracies led by the richest (or pawns of the richest) in their society inflict everything from slavery, racism, prejudice and even murder while the upper 1% of the wealthy grow richer.

Non-profit organizations–including religions (even though many religions clearly have a profit motive)–aspire to make the world a better place while clandestinely, and in some cases openly, practice the very same harmful acts they pledge to protect people from–all for the benefit of a few people’s self-interests. And, please note, these are not Christian-only religions–there are many types of religions practicing hypocrisy and inhumanity.

Corporations ruin the earth, lie, and are criminal in their behavior to pursue the insatiable greed of its shareholders–specifically the largest shareholders (have you ever seen a group of shareholders say, “We are making way too much money”?) Never satisfied with what they have fueled by the desire for more, more and more they pollute the earth and society, inhumanly inflicting damage on their employees and the world as a whole.

These are organized human groups–legal entities with “rights” and liable for their actions–and they all inflict a sacrilege on humanity. Religious people are not the only ones saying “Say your prayers” as noted in the blog’s graphic.

All of these organized “causes” become simply their “means” in the onslaught of inherently broken people–people not unlike any and all of us, they simply have grabbed or been given the power to inflict “a sacrilege.”

No, its not just religions we need to worry about–and that is why I gave the time to write–CJ, please put the blame where it belongs…its humanity acting in its own self-serving nature as the cause. Blaming religious people is far too narrow and leaves the majority of the guilty outside of the human atrocities you articulated in your blog. Thanks again, my friend.

CJ, I hope this finds you doing well. The pain you so incredibly articulated in your blog post, “The Sacrilege” is a pain shared by millions (even billions) over thousands of years who have been dealt suffering from organized humanity: a church, belief-system, government and/or society in general. There is only one exception in your list I must respectfully disagree, but first, I thought it is important to note that religions are not the only groups of humans practicing the inhuman treatment you list. Religions, by their very nature, standout more so with the hypocrisy of saying one thing and then practicing another. I have not seen a perfect religion and do not expect to–once people are involved human nature cannot be smothered by simply saying they are “religious” and trying to act religious. Sadly, there are hypocrites in every place–religions, governments, non-profit organizations, schools, hospitals–all charged with making the world a better place yet allowing self-interest to have its way at the expense of others. And, the idea of “sacrilege” is something I believe we agree on–each person carries a universal right for fairness, justice and liberty of thought and life. Any attempts to manipulate, remove, inhibit or hinder this basic human right from a person reflects a sacrilege in this definition–showing a lack of respect for the dignity of a person. Where I must differ, and always respectfully with you my friend, is the belief system that attacks people placing faith in God. Blaming people of faith for all that is wrong with the world is much too narrow. People behaving badly are not limited to religions or those placing faith in God–even though it may appear that way to those harmed. To show the power of human nature, even when relying on “common sense” and “rational thought”, consider this: Disbelief in God is in and of itself its own belief system. “I do not believe in God” is a belief held by atheists, right? Disbelief is its own belief, right? Being an atheist is a belief–and in a broader definition, a “faith”: an atheist chooses to believe there is not a God and, while they can not fully and totally disprove the existence of God, an atheist believes what they cannot prove beyond a shadow-of-a-doubt–they have faith in their belief. People who choose to not believe in God (whether the God, a god or gods) rarely admit to having this type faith in nothingness–the belief we are simply a random occurrence of particles formed over billions of years. And, that is each person’s right to their belief–every person has this right and any organization seeking to remove this basic right is wrong. But, being rational and choosing to not believe in God does not make this person less prejudiced, prideful or harmful–especially when people decide to get together around a cause, like removing the same right a person may choose to have in placing their faith in God. People do not need religion(s) to inflict hatred and pain, right? But, what I find interesting is that many people who forcefully speak against people of faith are themselves organized to manipulate, hinder or even remove the rights of people of faith–example: atheists organizations–where they gather together, are organized, have mission statements, written and agreed upon goals, objectives, solicit new members, and solicit money for their “cause” They come together and cheer their speakers and gain a shared feeling of community in their belief there is no God. And, that is their right. They talk about ethics, human rights and morals, yet, are they–individually or corporately–bold enough to say they are perfectly right while the rest of the people with faith are perfectly wrong and should have their faith ridiculed or blamed as the primary reason the world is such a broken place? To me, in my humble opinion, that sounds like a heavy-handed religion, a hypocrisy–one trying to limit or remove other’s right to their own beliefs…a sacrilege. So, should they not also be able to defend their beliefs? They have surely tested their doubts, right? Yet, people choose to find faults with primarily religions, when in rational thought humans make a pretty fair mess of things on their own without bringing up faith in an unseen God or the belief in the Divine. So, back to the exception: I would urge you to point this out–that when people get together, bad things can happen regardless of their shared “cause.” The cause is not the religion but the person’s own interests–or mostly self-interests. To add some balance, there are many wonderful people of faith who live humble lives helping others–never seeking the spotlight of the televangelists, pastors, ministers and priests. Those people will never claim to be perfect–and may not claim to be “religious” even though they have faith in God. Selfishness, pride, arrogance, greed, hate, prejudice, anger and the resulting effectually manifested hate filled crimes against people–a sacrilege–are not just a religious hallmark, but belongs to the causal effect from the nature of all humans–all of us now walking the planet are flawed, imperfect. A rule of thumb a friend of mine enjoys saying is if you meet someone saying they know-it-all–“run for cover.” For me, what has made a difference being an acknowledged, inherently flawed person living in a broken world is faith–but that would be another discussion.🙂 Thank you my friend for your courage and thoughtful compassion to making the world a better place through sharing ideas–ideas can change the world, for the better! Best, luke